The instant invention relates generally to jewelry and more specifically relates to an adaptor for converting a pierced earring into a pin that may be worn on a person's apparel.
Heretofore, it has been known in the jewelry art to provide a single decorative ornament with a plurality of mounting elements so that the ornament can be worn in a variety of different applications, such as in a pin or in a necklace. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,311 to Mastrobuono discloses such a convertible jewelry article which comprises an ornamental member having a mounting bracket on the rear side thereof. A plurality of mounting elements adapted to attach to the mounting bracket are provided so that the ornamental member is convertible for use as an earring, a bar pin, or a necklace assembly.
It has also been known in the jewelry art to convert a pierced earring into other types of jewelry such as a pressure clip earring, or a lapel pin. In this regard the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Moody Nos. 4,655,055, 4,574,595 and 4,840,045 disclose jewelry mounting constructions for converting pierced earrings into pressure clip earrings to be worn on unpierced ears. The disclosed jewelry mountings comprise a receptacle which is adapted to receive the post of a pierced earring, and a spring clamp which is secured to the receptacle and is adapted to secure the wearer's earlobe between the receptacle and the clamp. The Moody patents also disclose a mounting construction for converting a pierced earring into a lapel pin. The lapel mounting construction comprises an elongated tubular receptacle, one end of which receives the post of the pierced earring and the other end receiving a tapered pin. Still further, the Moody patent No. 4,840,045 discloses a jewelry construction for converting a pierced earring into a pin or brooch of the safety-pin type. In the pin mounting, the pierced earring post is received in a receptacle which carries a pin adapted to be attached to the wearer's clothing.